Fingerprints are unique patterns of ridges on our finger pads that are used to identify individuals. Fingerprints can be visible if fingers are dirty or oily, or latent if left by sweat. Fingerprint analysis, or dactyloscopy, has been used for centuries, from ancient Babylon to modern criminal identification. In the late 19th century scientists like Faulds, Galton, and Henry pioneered the scientific study and classification of fingerprints, establishing them as a reliable means of identification.

1. Fingerprints

2. • The patterns of ridges on our finger pads are unique: no two individuals—even identical twins—have fingerprints that are exactly alike. • We leave impressions—or prints—of these patterns on everything we touch with any pressure. • The prints can be visible, as when our fingers are dirty or oily, or they can be latent, as when they are made only by the sweat that is always present on our finger ridges.

3. • Injuries such as burns or scrapes will not change the ridge structure: when new skin grows in, the same pattern will come back. • Dactyloscopy is the practice of using fingerprints to identify someone.

4. In ancient Babylon, fingerprints were used on clay tablets for business transactions. In ancient China, thumb prints were found on clay seals .

5. In 14th century in Persia, various official government papers had fingerprints (impressions), and one government official, a doctor, observed that no two fingerprints were exactly alike. During the 1870's, Dr. Henry Faulds, the British Surgeon-Superintendent of Tsukiji Hospital in Tokyo, Japan, took up the study of "skin-furrows" after noticing finger marks on specimens of "prehistoric" pottery.

6. Dr. Faulds not only recognized the importance of fingerprints as a means of identification, but devised a method of classification as well. In 1880, Faulds published an article in the Scientific Journal "Nature“. He discussed fingerprints as a means of personal identification, and the use of printers ink as a method for obtaining such fingerprints. He is also credited with the first fingerprint identification of a greasy fingerprint left on an alcohol bottle.

7. In 1888 Sir Francis Galton, a British anthropologist and a cousin of Charles Darwin, began his observations of fingerprints as a means of identification in the 1880's. In 1891 Juan Vucetich, an Argentine Police Official, began the first fingerprint files based on Galton pattern types. Juan Vucetich made the first criminal fingerprint identification in 1892.

8. In 1900 the United Kingdom Home Secretary Office conducted an inquiry into "Identification of Criminals by Measurement and Fingerprints." Sir Edward Richard Henry appeared before the inquiry committee to explain the system published in his recent book "The Classification and Use of Fingerprints." The Fingerprint Branch at New Scotland was created in July 1901 using the Henry System of Classification .

9. Then in 1902 the first systematic use of fingerprints was tested in the U.S.A. by the New York Civil Service Commission and in 1903 the New York State Prison system began the first systematic use of fingerprints in the U.S. for criminals.

11. A very massive stone fingerprint!

15. Comparing fingerprints

16. A biometric fingerprint reader is a device which reads the fingerprints of a person and identifies them to allow access. All the security details are held by the fingerprint reader computer and it is easy to lock or unlock your files or doors. All that you need is your fingerprint. Fingerprint door lock Fingerprint Scanner v1.5.0

17. All information for this presentation was found from Internet by the following members of Let’s Creeducate team: Mirela Sarnova Preslava Kuzova Mihail Mitev Yosif Georgiev And prepared by several other members. Thank you for your efforts!